Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Nikon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

3 … 5 6 end

Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

saaketham
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Chay Nick wrote:
What mirrorless camera are you using now?

Was that question for OP or for me?
If me, I shoot Sony a1 and 600 f/4, 200-600 and so on and also a6600
That's not the point tho .. I feel disconnected and it's too easy to get beautiful shots now .. ha ha ..
Kinda like driving a Tesla on Autopilot, when driving is your hobby

May 11, 2022 at 11:07 AM

Chay Nick
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Will also the sony a9 in relation to the d850 give me such a technological leap in tracking objects as the sony a1, despite the fact that it does not have a bird eye af?

May 11, 2022 at 12:38 PM

saaketham
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Will PM you my honest opinion, so as not to start a brand war here

May 11, 2022 at 02:02 PM

Eric214
Online
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

The D500 is superior to the D850 for wildlife/BIF in general. It's shutter isn't as loud. The AF system is a tad better and faster and lighter. The D850 needs the grip to get close to the fps of the D500 9fps (7fps without grip) as to 10fps with the D500. The grips is also needed for the D850 to also improve the quality of the AF system. It will still be a tad behind the D500 with the grip as well. The D500 also has a higher pixel density then the D850 though not by a lot. The pixel density of the D500 is the same as a 48MP sensor and the D850 is 45.7MP

The D850 is better for slower wildlife like mammals such as bears, big cats, foxes etc if you can fill the frame or mostly fill the frame where you can get more overall pixels on the subject.

If you can't swung for a Z9 then IMO there is no reason to spend money on the other Z bodies for fast actions like BIF, go the DSLR route for now. The D500/D850 are far superior to the other non Z9 cameras and the D500 can be had with low shutter count (20k or less) for about $1000 or maybe less.

May 11, 2022 at 03:15 PM

Fivesense
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

I'm also considering the D850 as a partner to my D750. I've read in a couple forums and reviews that the D850 isn't great for fast action or wildlife (an opinion that doesn't fully make sense to me).

But paired with good glass, how does the D850 do with sports/action/wildlife (including but not exclusive to BiF)? How would it compare to the D750/D780 in such action scenarios?

May 11, 2022 at 03:25 PM

CKrueger
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Chay, the one thing I don’t see from your posts is why you’re looking to upgrade from your D500.

It seems your D500 is OK for noise, but you’d prefer a quieter camera? And I’m guessing if you’re eyeing the D850 you’re looking for higher resolution? Or shorter DOF?

If you want a quieter camera, mirrorless is the way to go. The Z9 is the best fully-electronic camera on the market, and is your best choice, full stop. After that, the A1 has fast enough sensor readout that its electronic shutter doesn’t tend to distort. Everything else is marginally worse still in fully-electronic mode, but shouldn’t be a problem shooting mammals moving slowly.

You can also shoot electronic front curtain shutter (EFCS) with some cameras, which greatly reduces noise over a fully mechanical shutter. My Z6 and X-T4 have EFCS, and make such a quiet “snick” that it doesn’t make my cats’ ears twitch in a quiet room.

Without knowing why you’re interested in moving on from the D500 I couldn’t really make a good recommendation, but I strongly suspect that you’d be very happy with a Z7 or Z7II, as it’s quieter than your D500, has the IQ of the D850, and could really make life easier in your blind to shoot in live view than from the viewfinder. A Z9 is better, of course, but its improved AF performance and the small difference between “quiet” and “silent” doesn’t seem like it would be a big deal for you.

May 11, 2022 at 06:40 PM

aboutthelight
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

As someone who shot (and loved) the D850 for almost 3 years I would not suggest getting one now. It is loud and I scared many of the birds that I shoot with it over the years. If silent shutter is a priority I would for sure buy a mirrorless camera. I switched to a Sony A1 but if that is not in your budget then you will just need to decide what system suits your needs best and what things you can live with or without. The AF on the z6ii or Z7ii are nowhere near as good as the A9ii but I would prefer to use the 500PF over the Sony 200-600. I have the Sony zoom and don't love it. Nice lens but the 500 PF is better. So again it is all about compromise. If your priority is AF then go with Sony. If it is merely weight then pick the lightest. If you want a small and light prime then continue with your 500PF on some mirrorless body from Nikon knowing full well that the EVF and AF are far inferior to the A9ii (except of course if you bought a Z9)

As an aside I think that DSLR's will sometime in the near future be discontinued and I personally would not invest into a dying tech. They are louder, slower, heavier, etc. That was one of the main reasons that I sold my Nikon gear when I did and when it still had some value.

Now if you have the budget then there is no comparison and you should get yourself an A1 and 200-600. Nothing on the market can match the speed, size, weight and versatility of that rig. D850 and 500PF is not in the same league when it comes to auto focus, speed, and number of keepers that you will get. This is not to start a brand war in any way, only responding to what you asked. Again I owned and shot the D850 for almost 3 years. Also had the 500PF. I owned and returned the Z7ii (it was lousy in my opinion with the AF and the EVF) and have owned and used the A1 since September. I don't care about brands, just performance and the A1 and 200-600 will blow you away coming from a D500 and 500PF. To be fair the Z9 will as well but it is a much heavier camera so I would not recommend if weight is an issue. Hope that helps in some way...

Also just for reference I recently started posting to IG. You can see the link to my page. 8 of the 34 images posted are from my D850 and the rest from my A1. I doubt you can tell which is which. One is with the 200-600. I just have been posting mostly recent stuff so that is why it is Sony heavy now but it will change of course as I post past stuff. As this is a gear forum and you will get loads of opinions, I think it helps to as least see the kind of work that people do so that you can take their opinion with as much weight as you think it deserves

May 13, 2022 at 09:52 AM

saaketham
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

^^^
A very fair assessment, IMHO. Agree with most if not all of it. +1

May 13, 2022 at 09:56 AM

Sauseschritt
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

saaketham wrote:
Will PM you my honest opinion, so as not to start a brand war here

7

Awww !

But brand wars are the main purpose of all photography forums !

May 14, 2022 at 12:58 PM

elkhornsun
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

From a hide the best solution is to buy a Z7 II and use the FTZ adapter with your existing lenses. A big advantage of a full frame camera is gaining the much wider field of view with the same lens and being able to switch to DX mode if desired. You get 95% of the resolution of the D500 camera in DX mode with the Z7 camera.

May 14, 2022 at 03:08 PM

saaketham
Online
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Sauseschritt wrote:
But brand wars are the main purpose of all photography forums !

. Indeed. But it's a full-time job that doesn't pay much. So I quit. ha ha

May 14, 2022 at 07:30 PM

Chay Nick
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Gentlemen, don't argue. On z9 and a1 knock what I can't afford, I'm a bit afraid that by buying a9ii + 200-600mm, I won't gain, and even lose the range I have with d500 + 300mm + 1.4tc. I am also afraid that the AF of a9II will not be drastically better than that of the d500, in A1 or Z9 it will be for sure. I would definitely gain silence, but at the expense of much more importance. However, with d500, d850, 300mm pf, 500mm pf and tc1,4, I can always compose an appropriate setup depending on my needs (whether I am going for small birds in reeds or for chasing deer). It's light, but it's still loud

May 15, 2022 at 06:43 AM

AcuteShadows
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

May 15, 2022 at 02:41 PM

Chay Nick
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

AF in silent sharpening mode on the screen is very weak. Not suitable for birds in my opinion.

May 16, 2022 at 12:41 AM

NissanPatrol
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

May 16, 2022 at 03:21 AM

aboutthelight
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

Chay Nick wrote:
Gentlemen, don't argue. On z9 and a1 knock what I can't afford, I'm a bit afraid that by buying a9ii + 200-600mm, I won't gain, and even lose the range I have with d500 + 300mm + 1.4tc. I am also afraid that the AF of a9II will not be drastically better than that of the d500, in A1 or Z9 it will be for sure. I would definitely gain silence, but at the expense of much more importance. However, with d500, d850, 300mm pf, 500mm pf and tc1,4, I can always compose an appropriate setup depending on my...Show more →

The auto focus of the A9ii is is drastically better than the D500. There will not be a comparison and once you add the other mirrorless features such as seeing exposure, silent shutter, faster frame rate, etc and it will be a much better shooting experience. You will be surprised at how many more keepers you will get. I often don't respond to these posts because of the silly brand war arguments that happen. The reality is that for wildlife and anything that actually moves, Nikon only has one proper camera, the Z9. It is also expensive and is a brick to carry around. Sony has the A9ii and the A1. A1 is king by a good margin in my book. Others are free to disagree but when you shoot a variety of subjects and need the very best AF there is only one choice. The rest are compromises. While it may not be possible, see if you can meet up with someone who owns the a9ii and zoom lens and try it out. That is cheaper than renting it. Get used to it a bit and see and feel for yourself what is out there compared to the D500. Everyone has their opinion and there is no substitute to trying it yourself.

When the Canon R5 came out I met a friend at a local breeding colony at a beach and tried it. I immediately knew that my D850 was a dinosaur and that this new tech would open up so many more opportunities and provide so many more keepers. Honestly between the A9ii and 200-600 or some crappy non Z9 Nikon alternative I would recommend you get an R5 and 100-500. It will be super light, have double the megapixels as your current camera and have really good autofocus. I have shot it many times and the combo is awesome. It is not as good as the A1 and 100-400 or 200-600 but for the size and weight and performance you will love it. And it will be night and day better than the D500 and 300PF.

May 16, 2022 at 11:43 AM

elkhornsun
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

If you want the best value for your professional photography then a D850 with the battery grip and EN-EL18 batteries is a great buy. So are the f-mount super telephotos that are selling at a 50% discount.

The only drawback is not being able to use a S-mount lens on a D850 camera. The 800mm PF is the only S-mount that provides an advantage over the f-mount lenses and even then the 800mm f/5.6 has the built in 1.25x teleconverter.

May 16, 2022 at 06:03 PM

fabulas
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

ABSOLUTLY!

May 16, 2022 at 10:29 PM

NissanPatrol
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

aboutthelight wrote:

The auto focus of the A9ii is is drastically better than the D500. There will not be a comparison and once you add the other mirrorless features such as seeing exposure, silent shutter, faster frame rate, etc and it will be a much better shooting experience.

Chay Nick wrote:
Hi, on a daily basis I photograph wildlife, mammals such as deer, deer, wolves and all kinds of birds, but I do not do BIF.

I agree with you that the a9 is better than the d-500 af wise

But the OP is not into BIF.

May 16, 2022 at 11:07 PM

Sauseschritt
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · Is it worth buying a Nikon d850 for wildlife in 2022?

elkhornsun wrote:
[...] The 800mm PF is the only S-mount that provides an advantage over the f-mount lenses and even then the 800mm f/5.6 has the built in 1.25x teleconverter.

Its included, but not builtin.

May 17, 2022 at 01:35 AM

1 2 3 … 5 6 end
FM Forums \| Nikon Forum \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 … 5 6 end